Soap Makers Help!

So has anybody tried the "room temperature process"? I've always heard that if it sounds to good to be true..... well you know. I just didn't know if all of the oils mix well with this method.
 
What is room temp to you? Is it room temp oils and lye or just oils?

I have done this method (room temp oil, hot lye). I will often melt 10 batches of soap. I then put them in 3gal buckets. When I am ready to soap, I make the lye solution and once it is clear but still hot, I mix and pour. Easy peasy :) Now, I have not done it when I have whole chunks of solid oils like palm or shea. I just worry about it not melting all the way.

I have also done room temp oils and lye. But only do this when I have melted the oils that day and they are cool but still clear. It works great for scents that move really fast. If you are using room temp lye, I would just make sure that you do not have any chunks of hard oils. I would also stick blend the oils well before you add the lye so the heavier oils do not sit on bottom.

This is my prefered why to soap. I have long given up on making sure the temp of the lye and oils are the same, lol.
 
I have seen both and realize that different people call both ways "room temp. method" so you answered a question I didn't even have to ask!
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I personally don't want the lye sitting around any longer than it has to so I was more interested in the room temp oil/ hot lye way of doing it.


Thank you! Very well explained answer!! I think this will let me soap a little more often! I got to do a rebatch of some I had made in January with the oils from Michaels that caused me so much trouble and that is all I got to do in February. BUT, I placed 3 orders from Brambleberry in the past 3 weeks so I have about 6 or 7 new FO's to play with and I'm still waiting on my last order to arrive.
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What is room temp to you? Is it room temp oils and lye or just oils?

I have done this method (room temp oil, hot lye). I will often melt 10 batches of soap. I then put them in 3gal buckets. When I am ready to soap, I make the lye solution and once it is clear but still hot, I mix and pour. Easy peasy :) Now, I have not done it when I have whole chunks of solid oils like palm or shea. I just worry about it not melting all the way.

I have also done room temp oils and lye. But only do this when I have melted the oils that day and they are cool but still clear. It works great for scents that move really fast. If you are using room temp lye, I would just make sure that you do not have any chunks of hard oils. I would also stick blend the oils well before you add the lye so the heavier oils do not sit on bottom.

This is my prefered why to soap. I have long given up on making sure the temp of the lye and oils are the same, lol.
 
I have never had to deal with ash no matter what method I use, so I don't know if this cuts down on it or not. I think is mainly environmental, atleast in my experience. I get ash in maybe 2 or 3 batches a year that doesn't just go away with a very quick rub with a cloth, it is always end bars that have it so it seems.

I find ash so complexing, lol. Some people get it every batch, others like me, hardly deal with it. I seem to soap alittle differently each time too. Some times I cover the soap, sometimes not if I soaped a little hotter than normal. If I do get ash, it is almost ways in my lavender or Saucy Wench soap for some reason, Oh one batch of OMH last year had a lot of ash after I took off the bubble wrap, but I havn't had any others. And out of the 40ish batches I have made this year, none have had ash.

What is the temp and humidity like in your soap area? What oils are you using? High coconut % seem to have more ash I have noticed, but not always. I also think that soaps that use more water get ash easier. I almost always do 45-48% lye solution which is VERY strong. Try going with a 38% solution and see if it helps. I personally like the Wham, Bam, Thank you Mam soaping, lol. I hate when I have a long trace.

As far as room temp, this is the way I prefer to soap. Now, I do not have a recipe that is super high in hard oils like palm, shea or lard. Coconut melts so easily I don't worry about that one too much. If my buckets sit around for up to a month, the oils start to solidify some, but it is more like a slurry consistancy, which is why I make sure to stick blend my oils very well if they have gotten cloudy, before I add my lye. I don't not want any chunks since my batches can move with such a strong solution. I don't want to take the risk of it not melting and mixing right.

If you are doing 8lb or less batches, go to the Ace Hardware Store. In the pain brush part, they also have paint buckets. They have ones from 1, 2 and 5 gal sizes that all have lids. Get a couple of those and measure and melt your oils. Put the lid on it and then take it out when ready to soap. You will be amazed at how fast it can be to soap :)

So, what scents did you get? I got an order from scent works last night. Black Raspberry Cream (they have the BEST!!), Blue Sugar and cranberry yuzu, yum!
 
Can anyone tell me if using tinctures in soap is ok? I would think it would be better in the HP method as opposed to the CP method.

I'm not going out of my way to buy them, but I have a couple "extras" on hand that I don't plan on taking.
 
Would she need to leave them out for a couple of days to go flat like beer for soaping? I am not familar with tinctures, so I have no real advice. Why are you looking to add them? Is it for scent, heath reasons, just because, lol.
 
Long story short, I purchased an expensive Black Cohosh tincture that was to help with "that time of the month" regularity and after doing more research found that it's really best for menopausal women. I'm 30 - so I won't be needing it right now. :) Figured I could put it in a soap and offer it as a soap for menopausal gals.
 

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